Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/486697
from top: Sufjan Stevens comes to the Chicago Theatre in April to promote his new album, Carrie & Lowell; Streeterville Social, on the third floor of the new Loews Hotel, is the largest rooftop terrace in the city. photography by getty images (stevens) Perched atop the 26th f loor of its new Loop home, the rooftop lounge at the Virgin Hotel (203 N. Wabash Ave., 312-940-4400; virginhotels.com) opens in April with a bold color palette, 270-degree city views, and a beverage program aimed to complement its menu of izakaya-style tapas, like braised pork belly buns and spicy shrimp dumplings. At the new Loews Hotel (455 N. Park Dr., 877-868- 8232; loewshotels.com/chicago), meanwhile, Streeter ville Social clocks in at 9,000 square feet, making it the largest outdoor roof terrace in the city. The third-f loor space features multiple bars, a grassy lawn for sunbathing and bocce ball, and both lake and city views. 5. Pulling for Pullman A city landmark becomes a National Monument. In February, President Obama traveled to Chicago to do something historic: give the city its first national monument. With its new status, the Pullman Historic District (11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave., 773-785-8901; pullmanil.org), a perfectly preserved model industrial town built during the 1880s to house the workers of railway magnate George Pullman, is placed within the National Park System, which means tourism to this far South Side charmer and slice of living history will likely increase tenfold. Starting May 3, the neigh- borhood will host its first Sunday walking tours. 6. A lfresco at Last Don't miss these new patio hot spots. Newcomers to the city's outdoor dining scene include Alpana Singh's second outing, Seven Lions (130 S. Michigan Ave., 312-880-0130; sevenlionschicago.com), whose enviable Loop location boasts 70 patio seats along Michigan Avenue ringed with flower boxes and a patio-friendly food and drink menu. West Loop hot spot Parlor Pizza Bar (108 N. Green St., 312-600-6090; parlorchicago.com), which already boasts an outdoor patio that seats 140, is installing a full bar on its rooftop, made of a salvaged freight shipping container, as well as a mobile wood-fire pizza oven to complement a space that will accommodate 150 people. In other news, Steakhouse Prime & Provisions (222 N. LaSalle St.; primeandprovisions.com) will have a 50-seat garden terrace along the Chicago River that will be shrouded in greenery and offer expansive views of the city. 7. Summer Comes Early A new outdoor space lands in Washington Park. The Summer Pavilion (256 E. Garfield Blvd.; artsandpubliclife.uchicago.edu), a project by Chicago-based MAS Studio that was built for Millennium Park in 2013 but never used, is relocating to a city-owned lot near Washington Park as part of the University of Chicago's Arts + Public Life initiative. A collection of brightly colored shinglelike overhangs connected via a series of zigzagging wooden beams, the Pavilion drops at the new site on May 4 and will include six interlocking wooden tables that can be pushed together along with chairs, benches, stools, and a stage. 8. Show Time The city's arts calendar heats up. What isn't happening this spring in the city? Indie crooner Sufjan Stevens, who made our state the subject of his second full-length album, comes to the Chicago Theatre (175 N. State St., 312-462-6300; thechicagotheatre.com) April 24 and 25. New works from the Joffrey Ballet land April 22 at the Cadillac Palace (151 W. Randolph St., 312-977-1700; joffrey.org), and the world premiere of Marcus Gardley's An Issue of Blood, about an interracial marriage set in 17th-century West Virginia, kicks off April 3 at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater (2433 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-871-3000; victorygardens.org). And at the Museum of Science and Industry (5700 S. Lake Shore Dr., 773-684-1414; msichicago.org), interactive exhibit "Robot Revolution" opens May 21. MA michiganavemag.com 55